Ambivalence
by Chocolate-Obsessed
Summary: Rin and Manji now lead quiet lives but one question still hangs over both their heads: are they meant to be? RinxManji.
1. Embarrassment

**Ambivalence**

**Author's Note:** Hi everyone. I'm Chocolate-Obsessed and I'm new to the community. This is my first fanfic so please be gentle!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Blade of the Immortal.

**Chapter ONE: Embarrassment**

The autumn leaves fell quietly, deep in the forest. If one were to walk past, they could hear a soft_ ping, ping_, but that deep in, no one walked by. The only things heard were that of metal on metal.

The sounds stopped, just for a second, as Rin and Manji had paused. They looked at each other, still in the heat of the spar, wondering who was going to make the next move. Of course, Rin did, but it looked rather clumsy, running towards Manji with her sword held high. He waited for her to get close, then stepped out of the way. She had predicted this move, and stopped prematurely, before she had followed through with her supposed "attack". This caught Manji a little off guard, and while he was trying to get back in the game, Rin swung her sword horizontally to try and slice Manji in half. They were playing this one for real, with real swords, real danger. Manji had decided Rin was getting good enough to try for real, and he was right. He dodged the swing, but lost his footing as he tripped on a root, and grabbed a hold of the closest thing to him, namely, Rin's arm.

But the game wasn't over, and this had happened to Rin enough times to know that she shouldn't let down her guard. She fell near Manji's side, and quickly got on top of him, pulling a dagger out of an unseen sheath. For the fraction of a second that the dagger was held high, Manji could see that he wasn't going to get out of this one, and braced himself for the attack. It came fast, in total, five stabs, all centered around his heart. He was a little shocked that Rin had actually stabbed him. All he was prepared for was her getting really close to stabbing, say, his neck and exclaiming that she had won. The shock took its toll, as she stabbed him repeatedly, but after the fifth time, he got his hand free from underneath her leg and grabbed her hand, stopping her from committing further damage. She wasn't done though, as she took her other hand and made a fist. She punched him only one time, before he held her other hand, looking at her with a look of utter confusion.

Rin just stared at him, the emotion in her eyes changing from anger to remorse. Her face started to contort into one of utmost sadness, and Manji started to ease his grip on her wrists. When she felt the pressure being released, she fell on him, pinning him to the ground, but she was not fighting, she was crying.

"I'm... so... sorry," she said, gasping for air in between words. "I... don't... know... what came over me..."

She continued this for a short time, made all the shorter by the realization that crept over Manji's face.

"Hey, Rin," he said quietly, almost inaudibly. She didn't hear, or if she did, she didn't respond. He took her by the shoulders and pushed her up. The sight he saw was pitiful, Rin's face was completely red from all the crying, tears staining her cheeks.

"Hey, you know what?" he continued.

She shook her head to signify "no."

"You beat me. Fair and square. And with real weapons."

She blinked her eyes a couple of times, and looked at him with sheer amazement. Then she did something Manji was not expecting. She smiled, a huge smile, grabbed his head, and hugged it so hard, he felt like it was going to explode under the pressure. When she finally let it go he gulped in a huge amount of air, right before she did something else unexpected. She kissed him. He had just enough time to close his mouth, but the shock of it almost made him open it again. He thought better of it.

The kiss didn't last very long, Rin's eyes shot open, and her back stiffened so she was sitting up again. She noticed the unusual position she was in, still straddling him, and took a sharp intake of breath. She immediately got off of him, a small flush going to her cheeks. She stood there staring at him, and him, still laying down, at her. Her eyes widened as large as saucers, obviously still processing what happened. Then she ran into the shack they were staying in, slamming the door behind her.

Manji continued to lay on the ground for some while, figuring out what to do. He laughed to himself, shook his head, and got up to make dinner.

"C'mon, Rin, you have to eat something," Manji said through the closed door. "You haven't eaten since breakfast."

"I'm not hungry," she said, muffled by the wall in between them.

"Of course you are," he pushed.

"No, I am not."

Okay, he wasn't going to win this one.

"Fine, you don't have to eat," he sighed, "but could you at least let me in so I can get some sleep?"

"Hmm nnn" was all he heard.

"Come on," he said exasperated, lightly punching the door. He didn't want to break it down, because it was starting to get cold at night, and the door offered protection against the wind.

He got no answer.

"I have to sleep," he said. "Do you really want me to sleep out in the cold, just 'cause you're embarrassed?"

He got no answer.

"Rinnnnnnnnnn..." Okay, now he was starting to sound like her, whining and begging. He heard a little movement, but then nothing happened, so he persisted.

"Please let me in," he begged. It was getting late, and he was cold, very cold. All he could think about was the nice soft futon. He was also a little sore from being stabbed so many times.

"What do I have to say for you to let me in?" he asked.

"Nothing."

Well, at least she was talking again.

"Fine... nothing."

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!"

"Okay, okay. Just please, let me in. I wont say anything! I wont even look at you. Okay?"

He heard more movement, hoping that she was going to let him in, then it stopped, again with no results.

He was about to open his mouth, when the door slid open, just a little. It was enough, he moved toward it, but then stopped to the sound of erratic movement inside. He opened the door when it stopped and saw that Rin was in her own futon, the covers obviously quickly thrown on top of her.

He fell into his bed, and the second his head hit the pillow, he was out.

**Author's Note**: I hope it was good! Please Read and Review. Thank you!


	2. Lots of Talk

Disclaimer: I already wrote one of those... if you wanna read it, go to chapter one.

Chapter TWO: Lots of Talk

Manji woke up later than he usually did, to his surprise. He sat up expecting to be the first one awake, once again, surprised that he wasn't. This was unusual. He started to get a nervous feeling again, like the one when she left the first time and he found her weak and in trouble with a band of men, and worst of all, with Kagehisa. Oh, how low she had sunk.

He got up quickly, going over to feel her bedding. Cold, so she'd been out of it for a while. _Maybe she just went to go cook breakfast,_ he thought, _yeah, right, like she would do that_. He opened the door rather calmly for a person who had possibly just been ditched again. He walked outside, looked around. Trees, grass, dirt, a very dead fire. _No sign, _he thought, and walked out further.

"Rin?" he called out, just for curiosity's sake.

"Yeah?" she replied, though she sounded far off.

Manji looked around, still, no one there. "Where are you?" he asked puzzled.

"On the roof," she answered.

"How the hell'd you get..."

Then he saw it. The dagger she had stabbed him with was sticking halfway out of the support beam, a perfect footstep. He walked over to it, stepped up, and was at the perfect reach for getting up on the roof. It wasn't difficult, especially since Rin had put the dagger there for herself, and he was considerably taller than her.

"What are you doing on the roof?" He said as he went over to her and sat down.

"Dunno, just felt like climbing," she said. She was sitting with her knees pressed against her chest, her arms folded across them and her chin on top of that. She was blankly staring straight ahead.

"So, you wanna talk?" he asked, not really looking at her, but not really looking away either.

"No, but I think it would be for the best." She muttered into her arms.

"What was that about yesterday?" Manji asked, very straightforward, no dancing around this one.

"I dunno," she said, looking up into the sky, and then at him. "It might've been from the excitement of actually winning, winning against _you_. Maybe it was because," she sighed softly, trying to think of another reason, "maybe because you're the first guy I met after my parents died. I was in need of attention, and I got it from you. Maybe, maybe because we've been alone for so long, I haven't seen anyone else. I don't know, I don't know."

Manji sighed and stretched out. He didn't particularly look like he was thinking of anything, so Rin just looked away. She focused on a small white bird that was sitting in the tree just next to the building. Oh, how she wished she could be that little bird, just to fly away from this uncomfortable conversation, or, rather, lack there of.

The silence was broken unceremoniously by Manji chuckling. He sat up and turned his head toward Rin.

"So... does this mean you are in love with me?" He asked with a smirk plastered to his face.

She just glared at him. She was not prepared to be asked that question in such a straight forward manner, although, considering how the conversation started, this shouldn't have bothered her so much. Perhaps she was shocked because she knew the answer to this.

"No." Rin said, without so much as a pause. "Love is too strong a word."

There was another silence between them, but it was not as uncomfortable as before.

"But, I wouldn't say I considered you like a father, or brother. It's not so strong as love, but not like a familial bond..." She pursed her lips trying to find the right word, but it never came. She shook her head, and started over.

"Ok, I wouldn't say 'I'm in love with you,' I would say... it's more like 'I'm in like with you,' if you get that."

He looked at her with a look of amusement. He started to chuckle again.

"Would you quit that? I'm not here for amusement." She stared at him, and to her surprise, saw a little bit of remorse in his expression. She looked away not wanting to feel like she was the cause of it.

"Um," she started. Manji could just see her face, and thought he saw a little bit of a blush starting to form. "Well, um, what do you feel for me?"

His mind went blank. _What do I... oh, shit, I don't know, she's always just been around. I guess I never thought about that. Shit, she's looking at me, what do I say?_

"Um," he thought, with all the brain power he possessed, he thought, "I'm gonna have to get back to you on that one." _That was all you could come up with, you're a loser._

Rin looked absolutely lost, she wasn't expecting that, she was expecting a solid "You're just some stupid kid," and instead, got _that_? _He just panicked, you should've been more coy, not so straight, you're not him. _

Manji got up and went to the edge of the roof. "I'm gonna go make breakfast."

A/N: Oh, what will his answer be? For all of you out there who read this, and don't bother to review... well, poopy on you. But I made two possible endings, the next chapter will be him affirming her "love" and the fourth chapter will be a decline. Read whichever you will. The next chapter is a little, well, sketchy, so if you don't like that, go on to the rejection.

And please review! I don't mind flames, although, if you make them really harsh, you're liable to make me cry. T-T


	3. Acceptance

A/N: Hey, thanks to my reviewers, I appreciate getting more than one, which sadly is how many I thought I was gonna get. Happiness And yes, I know Rin will probably never be able to beat Manji on her own, but I had to twist it a little to make it fit what I wanted to happen.

Disclaimer: As many know, and I hope you do know if you're reading this, that I do not own Blade of the Immortal, I'm just borrowing two characters...

Chapter THREE: Acceptance

Rin was laying on her bedding, half asleep, half awake. She wasn't really conscious of her surroundings, but she knew she was awake. How could she sleep at a time like this? She was waiting, waiting for his answer. The entire day went by without so much as a sound from either party, Manji looked like he was in deep thought and Rin was just trying not to cry.

She turned over and faced the wall, she wished that she was back in her own bed, with her parents in the other room, sleeping peacefully.

She squeezed her eyes together, _I'm going to go to sleep now, I'm going to go to sleep now_, the mantra playing over and over in her head. She didn't want to think about her parents now, she had too many other things to deal with. Well, really only one.

She had been so wrapped up in her own world that she didn't hear rustling in the other corner of the room.

Rin felt a tingling sensation go up her spine. _Wha...?_ She felt it again, but this time it was going up her side, and ended at her shoulder. Her head angled a little to try and see what was causing this, when her head stopped, she felt lips at her ear.

Her brows pursed, she still wasn't that awake. Her mind was jumbled with so many thoughts, she couldn't focus on anyone of them. Until...

"I've had time to think. I think... I'm in 'like' with you too."

Her mind stopped. Her eyes shot wide open. What did she just hear? Maybe she did fall asleep. She turned over on her back completely and turned her head. Nope, she was awake. She could feel his body next to hers, and for a second her breath caught when he leaned in to kiss her.

She turned completely on her side to face him, to look at him straight. He looked completely serious, _how weird, I could've sworn he was gonna say no, say its just a silly crush and walk away. _It felt to Rin that she laid there for hours, just looking at him. When she returned to her senses, she smiled, a sweet innocent smile that anyone would find endearing.

"Good." And with that, she grabbed at his collar and pulled him into another kiss, but this one was deeper, more full of passion.

Manji was a little taken aback. He didn't expect her to be, this, well, experienced. Already her tongue was pushing its way into his mouth. He opened it, not wanting to stop her flow, and grabbed the small of her back. He pulled her closer and supported her head with his other hand. He started to roll over to get a better vantage point when he felt small hands on his chest. He broke the kiss to look inquisitively at her, when he felt more pressure applied. Instead of him on top of her, she had reversed the position and had turned out on top. She looked down at him, and with her hands still on his chest, she leaned down and kissed his left earlobe. Then she sat back up and took her hair out of their braids. She replaced her hands on either side of his chest and bent down to kiss his right earlobe.

She sat back up and gave him a sideways look, almost asking him to take it farther. He obliged, not wanting to be on the bottom anymore, and took her by the waist. He used all his strength to get her to the floor, but not to hurt her. She grabbed his head and pulled it back, exposing his neck. Tentatively, Rin raised herself up and set little kisses on his neck, pulling him down a little with each successive kiss. When she finally arrived at his mouth, Manji took control and kissed her roughly. He slid his hand down her robes, loosening them.

Rin gasped softly and a small smirk appeared on Manji's lips. He bent his head down to plant small kisses on Rin's collarbone, and slowly made his way lower. When he got to her belly button, she was breathing harder, and he lifted his head to look at hers. He made his way back up her torso, but his lips were replaced by his tongue. She made a little giggle at that, and he smiled inward.

Rin's hands traveled around Manji's chest, taking off his robe, and pulling him down into yet another kiss. She broke it, though, rather fast, and pulled him down farther. She closed her eyes and waited for the next event.

A/N: I hate that ending, but I didn't want to go into too much detail. So just bear with me... I know it was really bad. And as always, I love reviews...


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